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2017–18 Scottish Premiership
(29 April 2018) | biggest_away_win = (4 November 2017) (10 March 2018) (5 May 2018) | highest_scoring = (13 May 2018) | prev_season = 2016–17 | next_season = 2018–19 }} The 2017–18 Scottish Premiership (known as the Ladbrokes Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the fifth and current season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 23 June 2017. The season began on 5 August 2017. Celtic are the defending champions. Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, Rangers, Ross County and St Johnstone. On 29 April 2018, Celtic won their seventh consecutive title and 49th overall after a 5–0 win at home to Rangers. Teams Promoted from Scottish Championship * Hibernian '''Relegated from Scottish Premiership * Inverness Caledonian Thistle Stadia and locations Personnel and kits Managerial changes Format Basic In the initial phase of the season, the 12 teams will play a round-robin tournament whereby each team plays each one of the other teams three times. After 33 games, the league splits into two sections of six teams, with each team playing each other in that section. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section play each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this is impossible. A total of 228 matches will be played, with 38 matches played by each team. League table Positions by round The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16. Source: BBC Sport Premiership play-offs The quarter-finals will be contested between the 3rd and 4th placed teams in the Scottish Championship. The winners will advance to the semi-finals to face the 2nd placed team in the Championship, and the winners of that tie will advance to the final to play-off against the 11th placed team in the Premiership, with the winners securing a place in the 2018–19 Scottish Premiership. Awards Premiership play-offs The quarter-final will be contested between the third and fourth-placed teams (Dundee United and Dunfermline Athletic) in the Scottish Championship, with the winners advancing to the semi-final to face the second-placed Championship side (Livingston). The last remaining Championship team will play-off against the eleventh-placed Premiership team in the final, with the winners securing the last place in the 2018–19 Scottish Premiership. Quarter-final First leg Second leg Stanton |goals2=McManus |stadium=Tannadice Park |location=Dundee |attendance=7,994 |referee=Willie Collum }} Semi-final First leg Ralston |goals2=De Vita Mullin Pittman |stadium=Tannadice Park |location=Dundee |attendance=5,610 |referee=Nick Walsh }} Second leg |goals2=Fraser |stadium=Almondvale Stadium |location=Livingston |attendance=4,508 |referee=Don Robertson }} Final First leg Pittman |goals2=Doolan |stadium=Almondvale Stadium |location=Livingston |attendance=5,469 |referee=Craig Thomson }} Second leg |stadium=Firhill Stadium |location=Glasgow |attendance=7,122 |referee=John Beaton }} Livingston were promoted to the Premiership. Broadcasting Live Matches This is a list of the matches broadcast live on television in the UK: The SPFL permits Sky Sports and BT Sports up to six live home matches between the broadcasters from each club - although this is only four for Rangers and Celtic. Sky Sports and BT Sport's deal allows them to broadcast 30 games each (and the play-offs for BT). The deal roughly provides £21m to SPFL per season. In Scotland, unlike most other leagues the kick-off times for live TV matches are not set by the league but are by the broadcasters, which does allow for live matches in Scotland to move around the schedule - mostly to accommodate Premier League matches south of the Border - however, BT Sport mostly show their matches on a Friday Night - with a 30 minute debate show entitled "Scottish Football Extra" beforehand. Highlights Sky Sports hold the rights to Saturday night highlights - however, they do not broadcast a dedicated programme and instead merely show the goals of the Premiership matches on Sky Sports News in their Goals Express programme - which primarily is focused on goals from the English Football League. Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba has the rights to broadcast the repeat in full of 38 Saturday 3pm matches "as live" at 5.30pm. The main Premiership highlights programme is BBC Scotland's Sportscene programme hosted on a Sunday evening at 6pm on BBC Two (repeated at 11pm on BBC One in HD) which shows in depth highlights of all six Premiership matches every weekend. STV show the goals the weekend matches on Monday nights during the Sport section of their News at Six programme as well as during their weeknight football-debate show on STV2. The SPFL also uploads the goals from every Premiership match onto it's YouTube channel - available from 6pm on a Sunday for UK and Ireland viewers and 10pm on a Saturday for those worldwide. External links *Official Site Category:Scottish Premiership seasons Category:2017–18 in Scottish football leagues Category:2017–18 Scottish Professional Football League